Carmela Ciuraru Knihy

Many kinds of equine characters grace these pages, from magnificent war horses to cowboys' trusty steeds, from broken-down nags to playful colts, from wild horses to dream horses.

This rousing anthology features the work of more than twenty-five writers from the great twentieth-century countercultural literary movement. Writing with an audacious swagger and an iconoclastic zeal, and declaiming their verse with dramatic flourish in smoke-filled cafés, the Beats gave birth to a literature of previously unimaginable expressive range.The defining work of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac provides the foundation for this collection, which also features the improvisational verse of such Beat legends as Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gary Snyder, and Michael McClure and the work of such women writers as Diane DiPrima and Denise Levertov. LeRoi Jones’s plaintive “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note” and Bob Kaufman’s stirring “Abomunist Manifesto” appear here alongside statements on poetics and the alternately incendiary and earnest correspondence of Beat Generation writers.Visceral and powerful, infused with an unmediated spiritual and social awareness, this is a rich and varied tribute and, in the populist spirit of the Beats, a vital addition to the libraries of readers everywhere.

A witty, provocative exploration of the tumultuous marriages of five renowned writers, this work illuminates the creative process alongside the influences of money, fame, and power in their complex relationships. The history of wives often reflects silence and resilience, particularly in the context of celebrity and male privilege. The marriages of famous writers frequently reveal stormy dynamics marked by ambition, narcissism, and infidelity. As critic Elizabeth Hardwick noted, a man's brutality towards his wife is often overlooked. Author Carmela Ciuraru delves into the lives of these literary couples, revealing the struggles behind their public personas. Kenneth Tynan's jealousy of his wife Elaine Dundy's success highlights the tension between support and rivalry. Roald Dahl's initial pride in Patricia Neal's stardom turned to resentment when she became the primary breadwinner. Elizabeth Jane Howard found it necessary to divorce Kingsley Amis to pursue her writing, as his needs stifled her creativity. The most traditional partnership featured Una Troubridge and Radclyffe Hall, who, despite their conservative views, navigated their own unique challenges. The relationship between Italian novelists Elsa Morante and Alberto Moravia was fraught with incompatibility and emotional turmoil, yet it fueled their literary achievements. This insightful and humorous book examines the intricate interplay of life, art, and love within t

In our "look at me" era, where everyone is a brand and privacy seems outdated, the exploration of pseudonymous authors reveals a different reality. This work delves into the stories of over a dozen authorial impostors across centuries and cultures, examining the creative process and the burdens of fame. While biographies have documented figures like Mark Twain and George Eliot, this collection uniquely gathers the narratives behind many noms de plume. These tales encompass secrecy, obsession, modesty, scandal, defiance, and shame. For instance, a shy Victorian mathematician found freedom in the guise of Lewis Carroll, while the Brontë sisters, known as the "three weird sisters," achieved literary fame under male pseudonyms. The baroness who became George Sand defied societal norms, engaging in relationships and publishing works that challenged propriety. Grounded in research yet accessible, these astonishing stories reveal the complex motives behind secret identities, often marked by playful intrigue or tragic consequences. This examination of both familiar and obscure pseudonyms serves as part detective story, part exposé, and part literary history, offering a thought-provoking meditation on identity and creativity.

"A witty look at the complex and fascinating but tumultuous marriages of five well-known figures in the literary world, including British theater critic Kenneth Tynan, and authors Roald Dahl and Kingsley Amis."-- Publisher's description